Guardian
by Written666
Summary: Miss Lovette is beginning to have doubts. She's become scared of Sweeney and has a sudden maternal instinct to protect her would-be son, Toby. Who shall she eventually choose? A man she hardly knows, or the son she wish she had? over 15 recommended.


A/N: I don't own Sweeny Todd or any of the characters. This story is about the relationship between Toby and Nellie Lovette. Just to make this clear, because I HAVE written a lot of romances in the past and this may come across wrong (you'll have to bear with me, this is my first time writting something like this). The relationship between Toby and Miss Lovette is MOTHER AND SON. I just said that because I'm not sure how the relationship between the characters in here will be percieved, because I repeat, this is my first time writing something that is non romantic.

"Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around,"

As soon as Nellie Lovette said those words, she knew they were true. She wouldn't let anything happen to her little Toby. Not even Sweeney (She'd given up calling him Benjamin, even in her head, for she knew full well that Benjamin had died along with what Lucy used to be.) would get near him, if she could help it. She'd cursed her maternal instinct a thousand times for growing too fond of him, in the beginning. She knew that Sweeney wouldn't put up with a scrappy little urchin like Toby for long, without putting him to good use.

She'd protested that morning about the boy's involvement in their "business", but Sweeny had given her that look. That look that reminded her that Benjamin Barker was in deed dead, and that Sweeney Todd was very alive and very _very _dangerouse. But that morning she' had seen something she hadn't been able to see before. Had she been blinded up until that moment or had she been seeing it, but not wanting to believe it? In any case, whether she was blinded by unrequited love or lying to herself, she had seen it that morning. And the truth was, it had scared her.

So when Toby started talking about demons charming her, she had gotten a little fright. She'd always known that he didn't particularly like Sweeney, but she put that down to him being a boy and her being a woman. The woman being able to see past Todd's rough and tough exterior to see what was really beneath the surface. But she knew now that children, even ones on the verge of adulthood, were at times more insightful than the wisest adult.

Nellie Lovette was conflicted. On one hand, there was Sweeney Todd, the replica of Benjamin Barker, the man who had captured her heart and held it still for over fifteen years. Then she had, Toby, the poor boy who'd she'd taken in from the streets and come to think of as her own child. Maternal love versus the love for a man she didn't know. She didn't know what to do. So she pulled Toby close to her and stroked his hair, tears of frustration and fear welling in her eyes.

"Now what's brought all this on luv'," She asked her would-be son, "Mr Todd's been so good to us,"

_Lie_, she heard a voice in the back of her mind. Probably her ill fated mother, warning her on bad men. _Lie. It's a lie Nellie, you know it is. _

_Lie is it? _ Nellie thought to herself. _If Sweeney didn't love me, he'd have done away with me long ago! _She reassured herself with that less than comforting thought.

As she led Toby out the door and down the steps to the meat room, she heard the back of her mind speak again. _Lie._

"Help! Let me out!" Toby yelled, smashing his fists against the cast iron door, "Let me out!"

The stench of the meat mincer was overwhelming. He could see why she'd sent him down here. If the ghost didn't kill him first, the putrid smell would.

_Betrayed_, his mind told him, _She betrayed you, just like everyone else Toby, just like Pirellie. Never trust anyone Toby, isn't that what Pirellie told you? Not even him, he told you. And now look what's happened. Locked in a dungeon with a ghost..._

"No! Let me out!" Toby could feel his hands begin to bleed, the amount of force he was putting behind his fists was tearing them open on the rough arts of the door.

_Betrayed, betrayed...How could she live with herself? Turning humans into monsters that feed upon their own kind. She's a monster Toby, a monster. Both She and Todd deserve to die together... _

"LET ME OUT!" Toby screamed, tears freely running down his cheeks now. He'd always been a straggler in life. His mother had died giving birth to him and his fathrer had thrown him to the dogs in the work house as soon as he was old enough to stand. Toby had not had a happy life. he'd never known a mother's love, never known what it was like to have ra real home, never known a father's kindness. He'd been happy with Todd and Lovette. He wasn't too fond of Todd, but he could put up with him as long as he was with Miss Lovette. She was his guardian angel, after all. They were like a family together. A dysfunctional one, but a family all the same. And now he was crushed. His guardian angel was a advocate to the devil himself.

"No, no, no! PLEASE!" he couldn't help crying out for her, "Miss Lovette! MISS LOVETTE!"

And lo behold, the door opened. It opened so fast, in fact, that Toby was thrown backwards with the sheer force of it. Toby looked up fearfully and for a moment, he'd thought that it was Sweeny, coming down to shut him up. But instead, to Toby's great relief, it was her. Mrs Lovette looking absolutly murderouse and sufficiently petrified, but his guardian angel once more.

"MISS LO-" Toby was cut off by his guardian angel.

"Shush, child!" Miss Lovetted scowled and threw a sack at Toby, which he caught, "Do you want to bring the whole neighborhood down upon us?"

Toby shook his head, clutching the sack of what he assumed was clothing.

"Then be quiet and get off yer ass and haul it!" Miss Lovette pushed the door wide open and motioned for him to get out. Toby wasted no time. He was no stranger to an escape and he could easily recognise one even at such a young age. He also knew that Miss Lovette was frightened out of her wits. He could tell by the way her eyes darted back and forth to the trap door behind her, to Toby then to the corpse and the meat mincer. Toby leapt up and shuffled over to the door, unable to make his legs move any faster, due to the shocking situation.

"Miss Lovette," He stopped in the door frame and looked up at her. She scowled back down at him.

"Toby, what is it?" She snapped irritably.

"Thank you," was all he said and he saw her gaze soften for an instant. Then her scowl was back in place and she pushed on the back of his head in the direction of the stair case.

"As fast as you can go Toby!" she yelled after him, "I'll be up in a moment!"

Toby looked back at her, nodded, then quickly scurried up the stairs.

Smack!

_Another corpse..._Nellie's heart was hammering in her chest as she looked over to the growing pile. _There should have only been two..._Then she saw the beautiful yellow hair and she inhaled sharply_...Oh no..._

She was going to wait for Sweeney and tell him she was through with him, but now she knew there would be no reasoning with the man. When he saw his wife dead and her alive, he knew he would put two and two together. He may have been insane but there was method to his madness and he wasn't stupid.

Tearing her eyes away from the strangly beautiful, yet long dead looking corpse, she yanked the door shut and turned, shouldering her own sack of belongings as she went, racing up the stairs.

"Toby!" Nellie yelled out, "Run! Run, as fast as you can and don't look back!" Nellie heaved in a breath as she reached the trapdoor opening. A silouette blocked the full moon's light, causing Nellie to let out an ear splitting screech.

"I heard Toby yelling," He spoke with that same furiouse calm that he had when he was speaking to his doomed customers, "So I came to check up on him...Where are you running off too, Miss Lovette?" He lunged forward and grabbed her wrists.

"Mr Todd!" Nellie cried out, trying to stall him for Toby, "There was a rat. A huge, gigantic, hideouse RAT!"

"A rat, you say?" Sweeney tilted his head to the side, giving her a sickly charming smile, "Is that all, Miss Lovette? Perhaps, you have," He squeezed her wrists causing her to cry out, "Lost faith in me, Miss Lovette. Is that it?"

The pain in her wrists was terrible. She knew at that moment, that she would never get away. That the bad things she had done, could never be redeemed, even by the foolish love for the person doing the killings or the love for a boy she cared for as if he was her own. Fate was catching up to her, and it was speeding towards her faster and faster.

"Mis Lovette," He smiled, tilting his head to the side, "Since you're a woman, I don't suppose you would care for a shave," Nellie's eyes widened, almost comically, at what he was implying, "But how about a nice little neclace? Yes," He let go of one of her wrists and took out his silver razor, "Yes...A nice trail of rubies," He let her feel the cool of the blade's point at her neck, "Yes, Rubies would look nice on you, Miss Lovette,"

Nellie closed her eyes, preparing herself for what was to come.

The nick of the silver blade was all that she got. But there was more blood on her than she had ever seen in her life. She looked up and saw Toby, white faced, standing behind Sweeney, a blood soaked razor in his hands.

"Oh Toby," Miss Lovette somehow ignored the blood that burned her skin. Toby looked at her, shocked at what he had done. Miss Lovette nodded in Empathy, then put her hands on Sweeney's shoulder and pushed him down the stairs. Miss Lovette raced down the steps and wrenched the door open, and Toby watched as she kicked Sweeney into the room and slammed the door shut, locking it from the outside. She leant against the door for a moment, allowing herself a few seconds to breathe. Then her hardened face looked up at Toby and her normally cement voice cracked at the edges as she yelled;

"Well, what are you waiting for!? Stupid boy, run!" She took her own advice as she lifted up her skirts and cleared the stairs in a few bounds. The adrenalin pumping through her veins, giving her extra strength. She basically dragged Toby out from the trapdoor and push started him into a run.

As they were racing through the streets of London, Toby slowed down for Miss Lovette and asked her;

"What about the pie shop?"

"Pie shops...can be...fixed and rebuilt...Toby," Miss Lovette huffed between words, "Dead people...Can't!"

After that Toby asked no more questions. They ran and ran, until they were nearly out of London. Then, Toby took it upon himself to suggest that they change clothes and wash the blood from themselves. Miss Lovette praised his common sense, then smacked him around the head when he didn't turn around whilst she was changing.

They caught a carriage after that. Toby helped her onto the back and they sat there, hoping that the carriage would take them somewhere other than the filthy black pit, that was London.

--

"Pies! Come and get your pies!" Toby yelled cheerfully.

Miss Lovette grinned at him and went back to pounding away at the dough. Nellie didn't wear her old dark clothing any more. Being near the sea side, it was far too cheery for that sort of attire. She now wore a pink and white dress, with her hair tied back in a tight braid. Gone were the dark rings around her eyes and her cheeks somehow seemed to shine her dress's pink. And she smiled more. Toby looked healthier too. Fifteen now, Toby was beginning to feel that he could actually carry out the "Nothing will happen to you, as long as I'm around" promise he'd made to her three years ago. Toby smiled to himself, then turned to a wealthy old woman, most likely on a seaside vacation.

"Come and get yer pies Ma'm, three bob for one, five for two!" The woman smiled at Toby, now doubt admiring the his politeness, Toby thought. His eyes followed her hands as she reached for her purse, dug around for a bit, then handed him a few coins.

"One thank you, young man," She smiled in that elderly way of hers and Toby gave her a special customer smile and handed her a pie, thanking her for her kindness.

That carriage three years ago, had take them to the little town of Lawson, a popular tourist place for the wealthy. After a few months of struggling, living on the minimal amount of food, Nellie had gotten a job at a Dress Making shop, doing repairs on old clothing. And of course, they were allowed to lodge in a small apartment just above the shop. At first, this had brought back bad memories, but now it was considered the past and Toby and Nellie were finally at peace. Living her dream near the sea, her only regret was that she still had no man to hold. She was content though, she had Toby, her little boy angel.

_And my, my, my _Nellie thought fondly watching as Toby interacted with the cusomers, subtly conning them into buying a pie, _wasn't he quite a successful little investment_.

"Why do you always do this Johanna!?" Nellie's ears perked at the name. She looked over to where the accusation had come from, and saw a mother pulling on her five year old child's arm, irritated. The child had sat down in the middle of the path and people were beginning to stare. Nellie sighed contentedly when she noticed that the child's hair was a firey red instead of a golden yellow. Toby noticed her discomfort and looked towards the child curiously.

"I want a new teddy!" Johanna yelled at her mother, beginning to border on screaming. Her mother's cheeks burned with embaressment and she lifted her daughter up by her wrist and gave her a firm warning slap on the bottom. She wailed and now the whole street had stopped to look on unabashed.

"Ungrateful child!" she exclaimed when her daughter started to wail even louder, "If you're not careful," She waggled a finger at Johanna, "Sweeney Todd will come and take you away in your sleep and we'll never see you again!"

Toby choked for a moment and Miss Lovette was at his side in an instant, slapping him on the back, too stunned to say anything. When Toby looked uup, he found that his usually calm guardian was rigid and pale white. Toby opened his mouth but Miss Lovette shook her head at him.

"Speak not a word Toby," Miss Lovette whispered in his ear, "And he'll not hear us,"

--

Like it? Was going to do a more angsty version of this where Miss Lovette dies distracting Sweeney and Toby gets away, but I decided against it. A dark happy ending is always good. Also, I might have missed it, but for some reason I always write "Loretta" instead of Lovette, which really was pissing me off. So if you find any "Loretta"'s in there that I missed, please ignore them. Also, have no spell check, so I apologise for that too.

Lawson isn't actually a town (I don't think anyways). I just made it up for the purpose of this fiction, which means I own it!! YES!


End file.
